Insightful Musings on the Scriptures

by

Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67

Greetings, special ones.

Overcast, calm, wet, but not raining—that’s the weather report from this window.

I dropped about a dozen big trees yesterday. I only climbed one—and that was simply to attach a safety line. The only heavy equipment I used was the track hoe. Once the chainsaw cuts are carefully made, the track hoe offered the muscle to push them over, making sure they hinge in the right direction. I didn’t even use the boom truck. The whole strategy changed when I learned that we could fairly easily remove a fence—allowing us to simply drop trees full-length in one direction—one on top of the other. So there is a serious pile of trees laying there now.

I failed to tell you about something that happened Saturday. We were on our way to a birthday gathering for two grandkids when I received a call from a neighbor reporting that Dandy, our dog, had just been run over on the highway. Dandy almost never shows any interest to leave our property—but he did this time. The pickup truck went right over him. But, for reasons we can’t explain, he didn’t die. In fact he hobbled home. He’s still hobbling around our place, still licking a gouge on a back foot. But he still eats—and he still hobbles after a ball. I’m amazed that we didn’t have to bury him. Of course, I’m also amazed that I have not yet been buried.

I’m scheduled to use the crane feature of the boom truck this morning at 10am. Better keep moving.

Blessings.

Love, Dad/Ray.

I have determined that I am 160.8 miles tall. You might say, “That’s ridiculous! How did you come up with a figure like that?” Well, it’s really quite simple. I’m looking at a map that shows the New Georgia Group of the Western Province of the Solomon Islands where we used to live and navigate. The map includes a scale for calculating distances. I used that standard of measurement to calculate my height. If you don’t agree with my method of measuring, I suppose I could get reactionary and defensive and say, “Don’t hassle me. You use your measurement, and I’ll use mine. So there!”

I agree—this is ridiculous. But it’s no more so than the tricks people typically play in measuring their own lives, views, and values. They select a standard of measurement to their own liking, making themselves to look bigger and better than they really are when compared with the standard of TRUTH—God’s standard.

Jesus said, “Consider carefully what you hear (and choose to believe)…with the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more.” I take that to mean that I had better be very careful how quickly I adopt the measuring standards others promote—how I measure myself—what standard I use to measure truth and error—how I determine right and wrong.

If I am 160.8 miles off in my calculations by standards of the truth, I may have to bear the real consequence of being 200 miles off—or maybe a million miles off—or how about 100 billion miles off. Remember, Jesus said that you will receive “even more” from your selected standard of measurement than the actual measurement, whether it be right or wrong.

Jesus is implicitly helping us to measure time and stuff against the standard of eternity. So how is it even possible to measure eternity anyway? Just be very careful about the “measure you use.” Please don’t stop thinking about it.